To mark the 65th anniversary of an historic football match in WWII, the Split Museum for Sports organised football games between the Croatian and UK Armed Forces teams, and between the same British Armed Forces team and HNK Hajduk of Split. Both games took place under the patronage of the Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia, Mr. Stjepan Mesić.

The first game was held on 12 September at the Poljud Stadium in Split and marked Croatia’s recent entry into NATO. Croatia won the match 1:0. The second match took place three days later and commemorated the game between Hajduk and a British Armed Forces team in Bari on 23 September 1944. Hajduk played many of its younger players in this game and won by a 9:1 count.

According to Mr. Zdravko Reić, the organiser and representative of the Museum, the Bari match had great symbolic importance. The Hajduk players had moved to the island of Vis, held by the British and Partisan forces, and joined the Partisan movement before the historic game against the British Forces XI in Bari in September 1944.  At that time, Hajduk was known as Hajduk - NOVJ [People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia]. Hajduk's British-assisted departure for Allied controlled territory in Southern Italy clearly symbolised the close cooperation and our shared struggle against fascism.

Other activities associated with the games included an audience and dinner with President Mesić, and photo exhibitions of the Bari match and of the two militaries in field action during peacekeeping operations. The photo exhibit of the two NATO allies was attended by President Mesić on the morning of Saturday, 12 September. Embassy and Croatian Defence Ministry staff co-hosted the event.

The Bari game, which was attended by more than 40,000 people (mainly soldiers), was won handily (7:2) by the British Armed Forces team, but the result in that game as in the upcoming games, is of secondary importance. The link that exists today between two friendly NATO countries is of paramount interest, as is the effort to continually strengthen it.

The UK and Croatia confirmed a Strategic Partnership in 2008, which is proof that London and Zagreb are working together to further Croatia's process of full membership in the EU.

The British Embassy Zagreb was involved in the project from the outset by ensuring the commitment of the British Forces team to the initiative. This initiative was also an excellent opportunity to promote England's World Cup 2018-2022 bid.

Highly-ranked dignitaries from both countries, such as President Mesić and HMA David Blunt and Minister of State for the Armed Forces Bill Rammell, were in attendance.

The organisers went to great lengths to bring well-known sports personalities, such as Slaven Bilić, coach of the Croatian national football team, into this project. Bilić played in the Premiership with West Ham and with Everton. A few of Hajduk’s legends even entered the field of play in the second match.
The British military team visited the island of Vis and placed wreaths at the Komiža jetty in memory of those that fell in WWII.

The football link between the UK and Croatia reaches into the 19th century when a group of Englishmen at the Torpedo factory in Rijeka played the first game in Croatia (in 1873!).